He went on to say, “It’s called the Congressional Progressive Caucus,” according to a spokesman, Tim Edson.

“He stands by his words,” Edson said in statement Wednesday afternoon. “But the words the media needs to pay attention to are the words of the members of the Progressive caucus. They speak for themselves. Call it what you may, but these House members are clearly not proponents of capitalism, free markets or individual economic freedom.”

West also criticized President Barack Obama, who spoke in Florida Tuesday about raising taxes for the wealthy, saying the president was “scared” to have a discussion on oil drilling and tax cuts, the Post reported.